Kuzon's Choice
by SerpentGuard1701
Summary: The war is over. The future of the Air Nomads is still in jeopardy. Kuzon must make the choice to save them or to stay true to himself.
1. Chapter 1

I got the basic idea for this fanfic from my sister, so credits to her. This is my very first fanfic, and will probably be my only one. So constructive compliments would be appreciated (The Office FTW xD). Anywho, let me know what you think, and enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: Everything I own is in a one-half-acre area, so naturally Avatar is not on that list. Don't sue me.

Chapter I

Kuzon steadied himself as another barrage of water flew at him. The ground was soggy from the extended battle, hampering his efforts. Kuzon froze the water around his feet, anchoring him to the grassy slope. A gust of wind blew along the grounds, chilling his already frigid arms.

As the newest attack hurdled toward him, Kuzon extended his chi until he could feel the liquid assault being propelled and guided by his opponent, Kanoda.

Kanoda was a great warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. It was said by many that he would be the next Tribal Chief after Sokka. All who knew him respected his skill.

It was a simple matter to assert his own influence over the water, taking advantage of his adversary's over-extended control. Spreading his arms out in a move reminiscent of the Octopus form, Kuzon caused the water - now his to command - to break apart into a dense mist. The water always seemed to respond more readily to Kuzon's will when mixed with air.

With a mighty roar, Kuzon launched his own attack, a flurry of ice particles traveling much faster than normal waterbending attacks were capable of. With a gasp, the first ice flecks made contact with Kanoda's skin, quickly coating it in layer after layer of thick snow. Kuzon leaped into the air, breaking the bonds of his feet to the earth. Slamming his open palms down towards the ground, Kuzon's rival was pinned in a prone, defenseless position.

Another victory.

Running over to Kanoda, Kuzon melted the snow binding his older brother to the ground. Kanoda rose and grinned, drying himself with a gesture.

"Man, you're really becoming something, Kuzon. Each time we train, seems your bending just gets more powerful."

"Either that, or you just need to start exercising more," Kuzon retorted with a smile.

"Ha. Seriously, though. Do you know how long that session lasted before you had me pinned?"

"I don't know, a few minutes?"

"By my reckoning, it was about fifteen seconds."

"Get out. You're the one who mom kept telling us would grow up to be the new chief, what with the raw power the spirits blessed you with."

"I know, I know, but that's just because I'm the oldest. Plus, she doesn't think too highly of you embracing dad's air nomad teachings like you have."

"I still don't get why she doesn't like it. I mean, she's been teaching all of us about the Southern Water Tribe customs, why can't dad teach me his customs?"

They walked together to a nearby rock, beneath a shady tree. The leaves rustled in the wind, as they pretty much did all day. Kanoda sighed. "It's all about the air nomads, and how there aren't any left. Dad isn't coping well, and mom doesn't like how he keeps trying to bring their culture into our family."

"What's mom got against air nomad traditions?"

"It's not the traditions, it's dad's obsessing over them."

"Mom hasn't been like this all the time, has she? I think I would have noticed."

"No, just since you've started absorbing air nomad teachings like a sponge. Dad tried to teach us all, but we weren't very interested. We were all raised on mom's Water Tribe stories and legends, we didn't see the need for more of it from the long-dead air nomads."

"But not me."

"Nope. And that's what's got mom irritated with dad. Listen, I can't explain it to you completely, but let's just say that this has been a standing issue with dad since I discovered I could waterbend."

"Aw, come on. That's such a cliffhanger."

"That's all you'll get for today, I'm afraid. Let mom or dad tell you the rest some time."

Kuzon pursed his lips. "Fine."

Kanoda leaped to his feet. "Now, how about a rematch?"

Just then, a female voice emanated from the nearby tower. "Come on, you two, you're gonna be late for dinner! Mom's put on her special sea prune recipe."

Kuzon grimaced. "Not stirred sea prunes again?" he called back. "Mom knows I can't keep them down!"

Hakana's voice rose, as if she were smiling. "Oh, that's right, I remember now. Mom asked me if you liked them. I guess I forgot!"

Her laughter carried across the temple grounds easily, as the wind was coming from that direction. "I can not believe that girl," Kuzon muttered, starting towards the bridge leading to their dining area.

Kanoda guffawed. "Ha! What're sisters for?"

**A/N**: **So yeah, there's the first chapter. I have absolutely no idea how this will end up - I've got the major plot points down, but for the most part, I'm taking this one chapter at a time. Even if it turns out to be a not-very-good fic, I'll keep writing, because I'm curious myself how it'll turn out. Expect a new chapter roughly every week, but a million things could get in the way, so yeah. Comments appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

K, so it turns out that I don't have the time to write this story before I leave for Australia for two years. So if anyone feels like completing this for some reason, PM me and I'll give you the plot details I had planned out (I guess I overstated it when I said I had _no_ idea where this was going..). If no one responds within two weeks, I'll post the CliffsNotes version of this fic.

Here's what I was able to put down for chapter 2 before I got bogged down with other stuff.

KUZON'S CHOICE

CHAPTER TWO

As the dining hall came into view, Kuzon reflected on the many ways to terrorize his older sister. He settled on doing something to her hair. Hakana obsessed over her dark brown locks, spending hours each morning making sure there wasn't a strand out of place.

Kuzon's gleeful anticipation of his sister's reaction must have been apparent on his face, for he could feel Kanoda's heavy hand on his shoulder, restraining him. "Kuzon, you know it's never worth it. She's an expert at fighting dirty. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?"

/

Kuzon could feel his cheeks flush as the memory came forward from the dark recesses of his mind. It had been Hakana's sixteenth birthday, and, attempting to play the part of the loving younger brother, Kuzon had promised to do a week's worth of dishes for her. What's the worst that could happen, he'd thought as he signed his name to the parchment detailing his pledge. The worst he could figure, she would fill the sink with leftover sea prunes, so he'd have to endure their stench as he worked. But Kuzon had vastly underestimated his sister's ability to inflict pain without actually twisting the thumbscrews.

Hakana had gone through the motions, giving him the obligatory 'Thank you,' and 'It's wonderful,' belying her true intentions. Kuzon expected her to expend the gift the next time the dishes fell to her. However, nothing happened. She did her share without complaint, whistling all the while. Month after month, her week came up, Kuzon prepped himself for an extra round on dishes, but Hakana never broached the subject.

/

/The above fragment was written, then I realized that this would become far too long a flashback, so I decided to cut it down.

Kuzon could feel his cheeks flush as the memory came forward from the dark recesses of his mind. It had been Hakana's sixteenth birthday, and--

No.

He would not relive that torture.

Kuzon answered his brother's query with a glare, "I will never forget."

"See that you don't," Kanoda replied with a knowing look. "I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night because of your shrieks again."

"Did you really have to bring that up?"

"Just stay out of trouble."

"And if I haven't quite learned my lesson?"

"Then just keep this round low-profile."

Kuzon sighed. So much for cutting his sister's hair in her sleep. He'd have to come up with something else. "Fine."

"Good. Now let's go get some of those sea prunes!"

The wind was picking up, so Kuzon focused on getting indoors instead of responding to Kanoda's gibe. As they passed Monk Gyatso's statue, Kuzon again marveled at the condition the statue was in, over a hundred years later. There were no blemishes, no faded spots. Dad kept it in pristine condition, tending to it personally every week since before Kuzon could remember.

No sooner had Kuzon passed the threshold of the temple than he was ambushed by three small children. "Uncle Kuzon!" they shouted out, leaping out of the shadows and barreling into him.

"Oh no, I'm under attack!" Kuzon cried out with a grin. "

--

So yeah, this is all I'll be able to do for this story, so please PM me if you feel like finishing it.


	3. Chapter 3

K, well, seems this story will never be written. Here's the summary:

Oh, one thing - I hope everyone got my little throwback to 103 with Kanoda's and Kuzon's convo - "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?" "I will never forget." xDD

As can be surmised from the details I've given thus far, Kuzon, Hakana, and Kanoda are all Aang's and Katara's children, and they're living at the Southern Air Temple. The three children from the previous chapter were Kanoda's children.

It turns out that Aang's ability to spirit-bend and make someone a non-bender also can be used to make people into benders. However, he never uses this power, since it fundamentally changes a person - with Ozai, it was a necessary evil, but he had to refuse the countless individuals that made the trek to the Southern Air temple and entreat him to give them bending. This resulted in a large conglomerate of people who were far from favorably disposed towards Aang.

It further turns out that none of Aang's children are airbenders. At first, I made them all waterbenders, but I realized that the showdown at the end between the non-benders and Aang family would be much more epik if there were firebenders and earthbenders as well. Perhaps Toph and Zuko could have come to assist, and the children could still be all waterbenders.

Anyways, Aang is so upset about the fact that he is still the last airbender that he pleads with Kuzon to allow him to make the change. He reveals that there will be a forcible end to the Avatar Cycle if there are no airbenders when it comes around again. Kuzon wonders why Aang can't do it to someone else - there's a whole crowd of angry people begging for it - but Aang insists that it must be him, that there is an importance in bloodline, and that Kuzon is the person with the most knowledge regarding the Air Nomad teachings. So either Kuzon does this, or the world had better be without the need of an Avatar by the time the cycle comes around to the airbenders again.

From here on out, I'm making it up as I type it out - I didn't have these details in my head when I started writing the story, or this summary.

During the epik battle scene, it is revealed that the angry mob has gotten hold of some pretty high tech stuff - electricity is invented by now. One of the primary weapons the mob plans to use against Aang is the taser. Not only will this completely incapacitate him, but it'll be a cruel irony that it is lightning that brings the Avatar down once again. As Aang is dying on a tower rooftop, Kuzon by his side, Aang performs the spirit bending technique - Kuzon has not given his consent at this point. During the process, Kuzon, Aang, and Roku all have a little sit-down, in limbo-time (time is not passing for the physical world).

It is revealed that Aang did not have Roku's blessing on this. The end of the Avatar cycle, Roku argues, is not worth the deprivation of Kuzon's right to choose. Aang asks if Roku would have him forget about the countless billions that would be adversely affected if there were no Avatar in the world to maintain balance. Roku is about to rebut this argument, but Kuzon jumps in actually, I'm not even sure what Roku would say to this, so I have to have Kuzon jump in and interrupt and asks why he has to save the world Aang's way. It's not my way, Aang argues - it's the only way that's ever worked. Not true, Roku intercedes, asking Aang to recall what the Lion Turtle said to him. "In the era before the Avatar..." - There was time before the Avatar existed, and the earth spirit's presence in the world wasn't needed. Why was it created, Aang and Kuzon wonder.

It was created, Roku says, because the world's inhabitants were about to destroy themselves. There was no structure to the power they had - no four-elements separation, and the line between the physical world and the spirit world was much less defined - like perpetual solstice. (If anyone's read the Eragon series, it's just like before the Greyfolk gave magic it's structure and rules - anyone could cast a spell just by visualizing their intent - no special words were needed.) The Earth spirit made a change, then, in all it's children (just means all the people on earth) - it gave bending the structure it has today. In addition to this change, the Earth Spirit established the Avatar cycle. It felt that it had to maintain a presence among the world's inhabitants, to guide them towards true civilization.

Aang wonders why he was never told about this, and if the Guru knew. Roku says that this was only known among past Avatars who had already died.

Roku goes on to say that the time has come for the Era of the Avatar to end. The children of the earth have learned, have progressed to a point that regression is highly unlikely. The angry mob was an aberration, Roku posited, a holdover from the violence of the last 100 years.

There will be three more Avatars, Roku says. After that, the Earth Spirit will no longer inhabit a human body, but will take it's rest in the heart of the earth.

So Kuzon's choice is no longer whether or not to maintain the Avatar cycle. But he still has the future of the Air Nomads resting on his shoulders. The spirit-bending ability has never been bestowed on another Avatar, and it never will again.

Now, I honestly don't know what Kuzon will choose. I guess I could either make this a dramatic cutoff, or have two different endings, but that'd be as lame as the MP3 encoder. So I guess I'd like your opinions on this. How would you like this story to end? Just having Kuzon say 'Ok, sure, I'll revive the Air Nomads' is also lame. Please, please post a review here - I'm a hopeless feedback junkie.

Well, this was fun.


End file.
